Nativ
The very first night of Nativ I had a panic attack. I was in a country I have never been to before, I knew absolutely no one and my mom wasn't here to help me. I thought I was crazy for thinking I could move to a different country for nine months. I was on my own, which shouldn't have been much of a surprise because I was always independent in high school, but learning a new language, meeting 53 new people, and starting classes again was going to be something I needed to balance. I was so nervous that on the third night in the dorms I cried about not knowing where to put my trash when the trashcan was full. I kept telling myself that by the second week I would be better and honestly, I was, but making friends is hard sometimes. Although it took me a few more weeks, I found my place, and it was worth the wait.
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Nativ is a learning program and I'm learning constantly. I'm learning Hebrew every day. I can feel myself improving mentally, physically, and socially. I feel happy and content. The classes at Hebrew University are challenging me to think in a new way. My favorite class is "History of Anti-Semitism" because the professor gives amazing lessons and makes me think about Anti-Semitism in a new way.
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Having the opportunity to live at the Fuchesburg Center on Agron gives me so many chances to travel anywhere in Jerusalem. We're in the center of many of the protests, Ben Yehuda, and Mahane Yehuda Market and museums are only a 20 minute bus ride away. Also, the Central Bus Station of Jerusalem is very close, which makes it easier when I go out on Open Shabbats.
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Open Shabbats are amazing. Nativ allows us to go anywhere in Israel for the weekend. Many of us travel to Tel Aviv because it's so close, and other Nativers visit family outside of Jerusalem. I've used Open Shabbats a view times and I love it, but there's also something special about staying in a quiet hostel for Shabbat and using the weekend to rest and visit new synagogues.
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Next Semester I'll be spending my time volunteering in Yemin Order (a youth village in Northern Israel). I'll be able to pick my own roommates and explore a different part of Israel for five months. Since I'm going to stay up North for so long, I have to travel to Southern Israel as and Jerusalem as much as possible.
